Spotlight – Georgia Musichttp://georgiamusic.org
Celebrating Georgia’s legends, landmarks and unsung heroesTue, 19 Sep 2017 15:40:55 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.5ExploreGeorgia.org Songwriter Series Back for Year Twohttp://georgiamusic.org/exploregeorgia-org-songwriter-series-travels-the-state-thru-november/
Sat, 09 Sep 2017 23:35:25 +0000http://georgiamusic.org/?p=16726A swell excuse for a roadtrip or two, the ExploreGeorgia.org Songwriter Series, now in its second year, offers six Southern snapshots of the diverse talent Georgia has to offer. Staged at a variety of venues and events across the state, these three-act packages offer real insight into the musical soul of a state. The series kicked off on August 19 in Valdosta with Randall Bramblett, Eliot Bronson and Joe Smothers and continues with the following shows:

Considered by many to be the current Belle of the Blues and heir apparent to the likes of Mavis Staples, dynamic singer Lola Gulley leads the popular Monday Night Jam at Atlanta’s Northside Tavern. Her albums Give Her What She Wants and Cleanin’ House were produced by iconic soul singer William Bell and released on his boutique Wilbe imprint.

Bonded by their mutual love of James Brown, singer Greg Hester and guitarist Keith Jenkins (who spent 12 years touring with the Godfather) bring their distinctive takes on soul music not only to songs from the catalogs of Brown, Van Morrison and the like, but also a steady stream of originals. In 2015 the pair collaborated on Soul Brother Where Art Though: A Tribute to James Brown.

Rather than cash in on his famous name, singer/songwriter/guitarist/produceOtis Redding IIIhas built a career around developing a distinctive take on soul, R&B and dance music that his famous father would undoubtedly be proud of. For years, he toured with the popular act the Reddings, which included his brother Dexter and singer Mark Lockett. In recent years he has made a name for himself as a riveting solo performer. His most recent release – the slow burn blues tune “This Ol’ Town” – was released in February.

Known primarily as a songwriter, Mike Dekle has penned tunes for the likes of Kenny Rogers, Tracy Byrd and Joe Nichols. Still, when he applies his distinctive Georgia twang to his Nashville-ready tunes, there’s real performance magic that happens. Fun fact – when not making the songwriter rounds in the Music City, Dekle runs a successful insurance business in his hometown of Athens.

Singer-Songwriter Levi Lowrey comes from musical stock – his great-great grandfather was Georgia fiddling legend Gil Tanner. It’s a legacy he embraces. His most recent release – the sprawling Roots and Branches – features 11 Tanner compositions and ten of Lowrey’s own. Lowrey’s songwriting and performance prowess is also well-documented. He is a former member of the Zac Brown Band and co-wrote the hits “Colder Weather” and “The Wind”.

A fellow proponent of what fellow Waycrosser Gram Parsons called Cosmis American Music, Abby Owens’ songs obliterate the lines between country, folk and rock lending a sense of urgent authenticity to her musical tales of loss and redemption. It’s a formula that works so well that Jason Isbell produced her 2010 album Indiantown.

A prolific, popular and enormously successful songwriter, Pat Alger’s hits include Livingston Taylor’s First Time Love and Garth Brooks’s “Unanswered Prayers” and “The Thunder Rolls”. Additionally, he has written for artists such as Trisha Yearwood, Don Williams, Dolly Parton and Lyle Lovett. As a performer he has built a reputation as a musical storyteller capable of drawing back the curtain on the country music industry.

A member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Tony Arata got his start when an as-of-yet unsigned Oklahoma singer named Garth Brooks heard him perform his composition “The Dance”. The rest is history. The song made Brooks a star and Arata one of the most in-demand writers in Nashville. His tunes have been performed by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless, Bonnie Raitt and Randy Travis.

A Georgia native, EG Kight was born in Dublin and brings real southern authenticity to her distinctive brand of blues. Buoyed by her powerful voice and dynamic phrasing, she has become a favorite amongst aficionados not only for her memorable performances but also her heartfelt songwriting. It’s made her a fan favorite at festivals not only in the United States by internationally as well.

Born in Savannah and based out of Atlanta, R&B singer Anthony David first attracted attention while working with recording artist India.Arie, with his song “Part of My Life” appearing on her acclaimed debut Acoustic Soul. The pair were nominated for a Grammy in 2008 for the duet “Words”. As a solo artist David has released six albums – including 2016’s The Powerful Now and built an impressive fan base that includes former President Barack Obama.

Rachel Shaner, who has been performing under the moniker Lulu the Giant for less than a year, will present her songs – which range in tone from jazzy bop to heavy rock – in a rare solo setting. That means just the woman and her upright bass. Expect her set to draw heavily from her album Kingdoms Fall, released a few short months ago.

New York-born and Savannah-bred singer-songwriter Kristina Train is an artist hard to pin down and difficult to ignore. Drawing liberally from diverse influences such as jazz, soul, blues and folk, her affecting style – for lack of easy reference – has often been compared to Norah Jones. In truth, she is something of a musical chameleon, allowing herself to incorporate the colors that best serve her highly personal songs.

At an age when many musicians are still striving to find an entry into the industry, 24-year-old country singer-songwriter Trea Landon has released his eponymous debut and signed a publishing deal with successful songwriter Dallas Davidson. A consummate storyteller, Landon uses his catchy radio-ready songs to deliver messages of appropriately youthful longing.

A true child of the 1990s, Eric Dodd draws in equal parts from his love of hip hop, rock and country. The result is a big barroom sound that includes righteous rave-ups and big ballads. A product of the University of Georgia’s acclaimed Music Business program, Dodd initially went into the financial services industry only to find the draw of music too strong. Today he makes his home in Nashville and recently released his debut EP – Fun/Fire/Rain.

Surrounding himself with successful peers has clearly had an effect on rising country singer Jordan Rager. The Loganville son of a preacher released his debut EP in 2016 and the lead single – a song about what it means to be a man in the modern south appropriately entitled “Southern Boy” – featured recording star Jason Aldean. Rager has also had the good fortune to tour with Nashville elite such as Randy Houser and Justin Moore.

The creation of this list was inspired by two recent events: one happy (the long-overdue definitive biography of a true Georgia musical icon) and one sad (the passing of another, afforded many more years to grace us with his craft). Once the brainstorming began, however, we expanded the list twice to make room for more worthwhile titles, and could have easily kept going. Hopefully you have a long beach vacation planned, or can carve out reading time extending well into the fall months….

Otis Redding: An Unfinished Life Jonathan Gould Macon native Redding looms so large over America’s musical legacy (let alone Georgia’s ) that many overlook that the man had achieved all this by age 26, when he died in a 1967 plane crash. Redding was arguably the first soul singer to crossover to white audiences without diluting his sound- even if it took Aretha Franklin to catapult his composition “Respect” to the top of the charts. Redding registered his own #1 posthumously with “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” although the incomparable “Try a Little Tenderness” is more indicative of his incendiary style. Author Gould gives the man his full due over 544 pages, covering musical triumphs like the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival as well as Redding’s uncommon business success, and depicting a devoted family man fond of retreating to his 300-acre Big O Ranch in Gray, Georgia.

My Cross to Bear Gregg Allman Its name a take on “It’s Not My Cross to Bear,” one of his songwriting credits from the debut Allman Brothers album, Gregg’s 2012 memoir includes its share of debauchery. This is only befitting for a first-person tale of a hard-living band from the free-wheeling early 70s. Operating from their Macon outpost, the Allmans struck their own blows for integration from the other end of the spectrum, delivering superior musicianship to boot. Allman’s approach is in stark contrast to Gould’s heavily researched style, but Gregg dishes plenty of juicy tales to reel us in. For those with limited time and internet access on the chaise lounge, check the always fascinating Bitter Southerner for a personal remembrance of Allman.

Party Out of Bounds Rodger Lyle Brown An oral history of the booming early 80s Athens music scene, circa R.E.M, the B-52s, Pylon and countless other bands that helped define the indie rock landscape. Author Brown was on the scene as it played out, and he does a fine job weaving these various voices into a cohesive narrative.

Sweet Soul Music Peter Guralnick No list would be complete without the Godfather of Soul. There are so many titles to choose from covering James Brown so let’s opt for Guralnick’s classic tome, which throws in portraits of Otis Redding and plenty of non-Georgia legends (including a healthy dose of Stax/Volt) for good measure. Alternate choices: RJ Smith’s The One: The Life and Music of James Brown or Douglas Wolk’s entry in Bloomsbury’s excellent 33 1/3 series recounting the December 1962 night that spawned Brown’s iconic Live at the Apollo.

Drinking with Strangers Butch Walker Cartersville native Walker is as well known as a songwriter/producer for the likes of Weezer and Pink as for his own 90s bands (SouthGang, Marvelous 3), but this autobiography covers his exodus from rural Georgia to Los Angeles with his self-described “hair metal band” and the bumps in the road that continued long after. Subtitled “Music Lessons from a Teenage Bullet Belt,” Walker’s a hilarious storyteller with a DIY feel carried over from the blog that drew his publisher’s attention.

Hickory Wind: The Life and Times of Gram Parsons Ben Fong-Torres Parsons’ is another live fast/die young story (gone at age 26, in 1973), but one with so many flourishes it’s hard to believe it wasn’t concocted in some writers’ workshop. There’s his privileged youth near the Florida border in Waycross, Georgia, his time studying at Harvard, his tenure in the Byrds, his associations with Emmylou Harris and the Rolling Stones, the ill-fated attempt by friends to spread his ashes at Joshua Tree. There are numerous recountings of Parsons’ tale, but Fong-Torres pulls together the pieces most impressively.

Boondock Kollage: Stories from the Hip-Hop South Regina Bradley Dr. Regina Bradley, Assistant Professor of English and African Diaspora Studies at Kennesaw State University, has paid particularly close scholarly attention to Outkast, exploring the Atlanta duo’s relevance to the broader dialogue on race and society in her classes and writings. Her 2017 title Boondock Kollage (the freshest entry on this list) collects a dozen short stories addressing race identity in the modern South and when her forthcoming full-length book on Outkast is published, it will undoubtedly deserve a spot on this list.

Johnny Mercer: Southern Songwriter for the World Glenn Eskew Another entry that tilts toward the academic side without sacrificing readability, Eskew makes a strong case that the Savannah native’s rep as a Tin Pan Alley composer (“Hooray for Hollywood,” “One for My Baby,” “Sweet Georgia Brown”) shortchanges his role as a messenger for broader Southern blues and jazz idioms.

Morning Glory: A Biography of Mary Lou Williams Linda Dahl Pianist/composer Williams (born in Atlanta in 1910) emerged from a harrowing childhood to build a diverse 50-year musical career that led JazzTimes to call her “one of the most influential women in jazz.” Although the Kennedy Center has honored her with an annual jazz festival bearing her name, Williams’ story remains remarkably under-appreciated. Dahl’s compelling 2000 biography serves to change that.

Little Miss Dynamite: The Life and Times of Brenda Lee Brenda Lee, Robert K. Oermann, Julie Clay Appropriately titled for one of Lee’s early hits that also became her nickname, the 4 foot 9 inch Atlanta native is enshrined in the Rock & Roll, Country, and Rockabilly Halls of Fame – some feat! Best remembered today for her indelible hits “I’m Sorry” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” her 47 hit singles during the 1960 (she was a star at age 15) trail only Elvis, the Beatles and Ray Charles. Her tale includes the usual dose of early career pitfalls, but is ultimately a story of longevity and success.

Whisperin’ Bill Anderson: An Unprecedented Life in Country MusicBill Anderson with Peter Cooper University of Georgia journalism student (and Griffin/Decatur native) Anderson had a multi-faceted ride even by free-wheeling 1960s standards. He had a #1 country hit by age 19, moved the Nashville and enjoyed a long run as both a performer and songwriter with 36 top ten hits, recorded by legends from Ray Price to Brad Paisley. He later became a game show host, restaurant pitchman and a 50-year member of the Grand Ol’ Opry. Anderson wrote a pair of lighthearted memoirs in 1989 and 1993; this 2012 volume takes a more holistic look at his career, warts and all.

Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands Lydia Parrish Parrish collected anecdotes and other source material over 25 years from the Gullah communities spanning Georgia’s barrier islands that later gave rise to folk music legends like Bessie Jones. Originally published in 1942 and encompassing 60 folk songs and their related lore, this volume is an important work of cultural preservation and a rich document of antebellum African-American traditions.

They Heard Georgia Singing Zell Miller How many onetime governors can claim a music anthology among their accomplishments? In 1996, Miller issued this volume of relatively brief vignettes covering artists past and present who shaped Georgia’s musical landscape.

]]>Randall Bramblett, Eliot Bronson & Joe Smothers Kick Off ExploreGeorgia.org Songwriter Series in Valdosta Aug. 19http://georgiamusic.org/randall-bramblett-eliot-bronson-joe-smothers-kick-off-songwriter-series-in-valdosta-aug-19/
Thu, 27 Jul 2017 01:57:57 +0000http://georgiamusic.org/?p=16518
The energy created when three musicians take the stage together for the first time is electric, and the audience should expect nothing less than magic when Randall Bramblett, Eliot Bronson and Joe Smothers kick off the 2nd Annual ExploreGeorgia.org Songwriter Series on Saturday, August 19 at the Dosta Theatre in Valdosta. The “in the round” format features the artists taking turns performing their songs and sharing stories behind them. Tickets for the 8 p.m. performance are $15 in advance, available at xorbia.com.

Presented by Georgia Tourism, the ExploreGeorgia.org Songwriter Series was included in National Geographic Traveler’s prestigious “Best Trips 2017” list. The series launched in 2016 as part of Georgia Tourism’s “Year of Georgia Music” promotional campaign, but after receiving rave reviews, the shows are back for an encore run with additional concerts scheduled in Augusta, Athens, LaGrange, Savannah and Rome.

Rolling Stone called Randall Bramblett “one of the South’s most lyrical and literate songwriters.” The Athens resident just released his eleventh album, Juke Joint at the Edge of the World, on New West Records, and said that it is “rooted more in the soul and R&B dance music that I grew listening to and playing.” The singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has been a distinguished force in music for four decades, from his role in the rock-jazz fusion group Sea Level to recording and touring stints with artists including Bonnie Raitt, Steve Winwood, and Widespread Panic to his highly acclaimed solo albums.

On Aug. 25, Nashville’s Rock Ridge Music will release Eliot Bronson’s album, James, his second produced by Dave Cobb, the Savannah native known for his work with Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson. The Atlanta-based artist was born into a Pentecostal family with a great love of music and a massive folk record collection. Bronson disccovered guitar and Zen Buddhism as a teen and today mines the sounds of the blues, folk and roots music he grew up with to create soundtracks for his thoughtful, evocative stories. He is a past winner of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest and Eddie Owen Presents “Songwriter Shootout.”

Longtime Valdosta singer, songwriter and guitarist Joe Smothers was born in North Carolina like his hero, Doc Watson, with whom he toured for years and recorded more than a dozen albums. He also toured extensively with and recorded an album with Watson’s longtime musical partner, the “flatpicking powerhouse” Jack Lawrence. Although he has performed with some of the finest American roots musicians over the past three decades, Smothers recently recorded his very first solo album, These Things I Know.

Upcoming concerts in the ExploreGeorgia.org Songwriter Series include:

It’s a common refrain — follow your bliss. Pursue labors of love and everything will work out in the end. It’s hard to root against those who take such advice to heart, so it’s nice to report a tale where such a story has a happy ending.

“I’m not looking to just shoot bands, but bands I like,” Emily Butler tells me over lunch at Atlanta’s OK Café, thumbing through a modest but rapidly growing portfolio of her music photography. “When I was getting started it was about what photos I could get in focus. Now it’s about which pictures I can make interesting,” she adds self-effacingly.

Butler’s roots are in the jam band world — the New York native followed the Grateful Dead in a van for a time with her husband-to-be before settling in Atlanta in 1995. The couple continued to venture out several nights a week for live music, and Butler found herself becoming both more absorbed in and skilled at her hobby of snapping photos of the concerts. Gradually, she began pursuing press credentials to gain better access and sight lines.

Larkin Poe at Terminal West in Atlanta, Georgia on May 5, 2016 (Emily Butler Photography)

“Music photography is really weird — you have no control over the lighting, the model, things like mic stands in your way,” Butler explains. “We’re typically only allowed to shoot from the photography pit for the first two or three songs of the set, which limits spontaneity,” and I suspect also guards artists’ images, limiting shots of sweaty musicians. “The nights where I can shoot the entire show are the best,” she offers, as they provide opportunity to capture those precious unguarded moments.

Butler also speaks fondly of the brother (and sister) –hood of the pit. “People are usually good about letting you get up front for your shot,” she says. “Then you get out of the way to make sure they have their chance too.”

The trick comes in scoring a press badge if you don’t have a confirmed assignment for a media outlet — and the bigger the show, the more daunting the challenge. This posed quite a hurdle for a “non-working photographer” like Butler. She succeeded through the slow build — picking her spots, gradually assembling her portfolio, then impressing concert hall staff with samples of her past work.

Puddles Pity Party at Center Stage on April 1, 2017 (Emily Butler Photography)

In her day job, Butler is a self-employed virtual assistant supporting small business owners. Her two worlds collided when she got a gig managing affairs for Atlanta music scene mainstay Mike “Kingsized” Geier, of whom she was already a self-described “super-fan.” This led to great shots of “Puddles Pity Party,” for whom Geier serves as handler, and more open dialogue with area promoters. Another breakthrough came when the Yonder Mountain String Band chose to use Butler’s photos for their press kit.

My personal favorite is the bronzed, otherworldly textures of her performance shot of Atlanta-connected roots rock favorites the Wood Brothers. Apparently Butler agrees, as she uses it for her business card. “I’m in with them now,” she smiles. “I really appreciated their tweet before their last show, ‘We’re going to be @BuckheadTheater tonight, hope Emily is too.’”

Another favorite is her larger-than-life shot of Grace Potter. “It just exudes the energy of her show. She’s a wild child — that’s rock & roll!” Butler exclaims. “I need to shoot things that have good lights and fun performers,” and Potter clearly punches both of those tickets.

Butler estimates that she shoots about 60 shows a year and attends another 30 or so. “I won’t shoot certain shows that I really want to see,” she explains, holding up Warren Haynes’ recent “Last Waltz at 40” tour as an example. “If I’m up in front shooting, I can get lost in the lights. But most nights I can shift my mindset after the first three songs” once she leaves the pit.

Warren Haynes of Gov’t Mule on Sept. 23, 2016 (Photo by Emily Butler)

Since we met, Butler’s momentum has continued to build. She’s fielding more frequent calls from record labels and band managers looking for photos, and has signed on as a contributing photographer for Atlanta Music Guide and Live for Live Music. This added designation greased the wheels for press access to Sting’s recent Atlanta performance at the Tabernacle — which had been near the top of her 2017 wish list. She just shot Zac Brown Band and Panic! at the Disco and is currently working on cracking the code for upcoming concerts by Roger Waters, Paul McCartney and Tedeschi Trucks Band.

The late Gregg Allman at Verizon Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, Georgia (Emily Butler Photography)

“It’s really never been about the money for me, but it does seem to be happening naturally,” she added in a subsequent email. There’s another well-worn cliché, but in this case it seems wholly sincere — and Emily Butler’s actions seem to back it up.